These 4 Bears deserve game balls despite Week 5 loss to Vikings

After a heartbreaking 29-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5, one that saw a potential game-winning drive die on a fumble with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, there's plenty to be excited about for the Chicago Bears.

The offense had its best game of the year and finally looked coherent as a unit, and the coaches once again showed remarkable second-half adjustments.

Let's get into the four Chicago Bears who earned game balls this week.

Justin Fields

This was Justin Fields' best performance of the year and arguably his best since Week 9 of last year. Fields looked confident and in command of the offense. He had yet another gorgeous deep ball to wide receiver Darnell Mooney, made plays with his legs (including what should have been a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter that was nullified by penalty), looked good in the short game, which is where he tends to struggle, and finished with zero turnovers.

Fields finished the game 15-of-28 for 205 yards and one touchdown. He added 47 rushing yards on the ground.

Some of us have been preaching patience for Fields this season as he learns a new offense. On Sunday, he showed the first signs of a positive return on investment. If he can repeat this kind of performance on Thursday night against the Washington Commanders, Bears fans will have good reason to be very confident in his future and the future of this franchise.

Darnell Mooney

As mentioned above, Mooney caught another deep ball from Fields on Sunday. And as great as the throw was, the catch itself was spectacular. A diving one-handed grab that took the Bears into the red zone. It was the first good play in a game that, to that point, appeared to mark a new low for the 2022 Bears.

The catch led to a touchdown before halftime and began a surge that jumpstarted the Bears scoring 19 unanswered points. These last two weeks, we've finally seen the Fields-to-Mooney connection show promise, now we need to see the two of them truly have a statement game.

Kindle Vildor

The much-maligned cornerback has quietly had a very good season in 2022. While still playing at a replaceable level, Vildor had himself a day on Sunday, which included a beautiful interception in the second half that allowed the Bears to take the lead 22-21.

As Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins scrambled right, he locked onto wide receiver Adam Thielen. Vildor read the quarterback's eyes, stepped in front of the pass, and returned it 19 yards to midfield.

That was Vildor's first career interception, so he earned this game ball.

Luke Getsy

This last game ball goes to the offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy. He's caught a lot of heat so far this year, and rightfully so, for an offense that has looked worse than stagnant at times. And for 28 minutes on Sunday, we appeared headed for more of the same. But in the second half, Getsy's offense came out swinging and nearly won the game.

Getsy still has a lot to work on as an offensive play-caller, but there are positive signs for Bears fans to be encouraged by.

First, in every game, he shows flashes as a brilliant play-caller, even in losses. Fans must remember that he's a rookie at this; it's all new to him. Much like with Fields, there needs to be patience while he learns the ins and outs of this new job.

Second, Getsy learns from his mistakes. After a Week 4 loss where Getsy looked like he should be calling plays for the 1980 Bears, he appears to have understood what went wrong and adjusted for the next opponent. If he can continue growing as a play-caller alongside Justin Fields as the quarterback, the sky is the limit for this offense.